Archive: Current Operations

On a sunny, winter morning, with the last of the morning's frost dissipating into fog, U.S. troopers and Polish infantrymen met at the edge of the airfield here to await the UH-60 Black Hawk's arrival and the beginning of medical evacuation training.

The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) cased its colors during a ceremony at the Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, Feb. 26, marking the end of Operation United Assistance for the Joint Forces Command - United Assistance, and the Screaming Eagles.

About 200 Soldiers from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade deployed to Kuwait from Hunter Army Airfield, Feb. 13. The majority of those troops are coming from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, with a mixture of different Soldiers from the other battalions in the brigade.

After turning over the last of 10 Ebola treatment centers in January, U.S. military task force members have begun withdrawing from West Africa as new cases of the disease tail off to virtually zero in Liberia.

As the mission of Joint Forces Command - United Assistance comes to an end, there are a few more tasks that Service members, deployed in support of Operation United Assistance, or OUA, have to complete.

Signaleers from the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Slovenian Armed Forces engaged in technical and tactical training specific to battlefield communications during Exercise Agile Titan, an 11-day combined exercise in Pocek, Slovenia.

U.S. and international agencies carrying out Operation United Assistance efforts have wrapped up work on the final two of 10 Ebola treatment units in Liberia, a top engineer with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) said Jan. 23.

A peaceful political solution, not a military one, would be the most desirable way to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine and bring normality to the region, said Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe.

Leaders from the 201st and 203rd Afghan National Army Corps, Afghan Border Police zones 301 and 402, the 11th Pakistan Army Corps, and a delegation from Resolute Support headquarters met to discuss border security at an event hosted by Train, Advise, Assist Command - East at Operational Base Fenty in Afghanistan, Jan. 18, 2015.

Maj. Michael Provencher of 3rd Cavalry Regiment traveled with five Afghan National Army, or ANA, leaders to a weeklong training event in mid January 2015. Provencher, along with U.S. Training and Doctrine Command leaders, will show the Afghan leaders the Maneuver Center of Excellence located at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Whether they are learning new techniques to stay mentally resilient, exercising to stay physically strong, or washing their hands and applying hand sanitizer to prevent illness, Service members deployed under Joint Forces Command - United Assistance, in Monrovia, Liberia, are always taking steps to stay healthy.

The services have been working on gender-neutral standards for all occupations and the secretary of defense is scheduled to announce final decisions to integrate or exclude any remaining occupations closed to women on or about Jan. 1, 2016.

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - Loud booms rang out across the forest at Rhine Ordnance Barracks as Soldiers from the 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, 7th Civil Support Command, encountered a simulated roadside bomb as they trained for convoy operations. For some, it was the first time they experienced an improvised explosive device detonating outside their Humvee. For others, the Jan. 11 exercise was a reminder of the dangers often faced downrange. For Staff Sgt. Daniel Vidican, who has already deployed to a combat zone, the simulated attack was a great refresher.

As Service members of the Joint Forces Command - United Assistance, or JFC-UA, complete their missions, the logistical mission to redeploy the equipment used to battle the virus is picking up speed. The 101st Sustainment Brigade (Lifeliners), Task Force Lifeliner, JFC-UA, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is the lead logistics element for Operation United Assistance in West Africa.

Leaders from NATO's Resolute Support headquarters and Train, Advise, Assist Command-East, or TAAC-E, traveled for a meeting with Afghan National Security Forces leaders to the Khyber Border Coordination Center, or KBCC, near the Torkham Gate area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in eastern Nangarhar province, Jan. 4.

With the start of Resolute Support, and the continuing drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, 2015 will be a period of accelerating change for U.S. Forces Afghanistan. This year will be challenging, but the transition has been relatively smooth due to the already successful retrograde operations accomplished in 2014.

A tsunami hit one of the United States' Pacific partner nations. Communication is damaged or completely down. Water supplies have been interrupted. Power is out. The partner nation government expects many of its citizens will run out of food within a couple of days. They need help, and they reach out to the United States. The United States Agency for International Development and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance ask the Department of Defense for assistance, but the disaster just happened, therefore, what is needed is not yet known. U.S. Army Pacific and I Corps send word to the 25th Infantry Division, Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team, or HAST, on call, and within 24 hours, the HAST team is in the air and on its way to assess the situation.

As of Dec. 22, 2014, Soldiers deployed to Monrovia, Liberia, in support of Operation United Assistance were able to buy flat rate boxes, apply postage and send their own care packages back home to their family and friends in the U.S.

Soldiers at the Army Geospatial Center in Alexandria, Virginia, are using their training as geospatial engineers to analyze data from satellite imagery, aerial photography and field reconnaissance to support relief efforts at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.

The 1st Infantry Division, the United States Department of State, then United Service Organizations, the New York Yankees and many other organizations, gathered more than 7,000 presents to show their support for Service members in Iraq, this holiday season.

An Army virologist using diagnostic tools found traces of Ebola virus in patient samples in West Africa -- a region thought to be untouched by the disease -- seven years before the largest, deadliest Ebola outbreak took the world by surprise in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The 86th Damage Control Resuscitation Team, 86th Combat Support Hospital, based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is a one-of-a-kind medical team operating in the Joint Forces Command-United Assistance Field Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, capable of facilitating life-saving interventions and surgeries to Soldiers here.

The strength of the 40-plus nation coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ultimately will defeat the terrorist group, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, conducted a battalion-sized airfield seizure exercise at an airbase in northern Italy, the evening of Dec. 10, 2014, to further their readiness as the Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe.

Walking through the doors to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia, one of the first things that can be noticed is the silence. Soldiers deployed and stationed at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia, Liberia, in support of Joint Forces Command-United Assistance, marveled at how quiet, clean and calm it was inside the Embassy.

U.S. Army paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, joined the Danish Army's 2nd Brigade, and the Queens Company of the British Army's Grenadier Guards, for the start of Exercise White Sword, in Oksboel, Denmark, Dec. 5, 2014.

Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, provided a first aid training class to Liberian law enforcement personnel at the National Police Training Academy, Paynesville, Liberia, Dec. 9, 2014, that could help protect them from diseases such as the Ebola virus.

When the Ebola virus found the remote village of Tappita, Liberia, it took more than a day for it to be properly diagnosed. Soon, it will take a matter of minutes. A new Ebola Treatment Unit will open in Tappita within the month.

In October 2014, Service members deployed to Liberia for Operation United Assistance, an operation supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development-led efforts to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in western Africa. The fight against Ebola, however, poses a significantly smaller health threat to U.S. forces than malaria does.

With only weeks to organize, Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, put into place operations for the North Fort Hood Ebola controlled monitoring site and are trained and ready to receive and monitor Service members and volunteer civilians returning from duty in West Africa.

After weeks of preparation, the main body elements of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command headquarters, 7th Civil Support Command, the 30th Medical Brigade and the 16th Sustainment Brigade, deployed to Dakar, Senegal, in support of Operation United Assistance.

With 79 percent humidity and a warm ocean breeze, Thanksgiving for Soldiers deployed in Monrovia, Liberia, feels far from traditional. But thanks to a variety of Thanksgiving activities and fare, Soldiers can still get into the holiday spirit throughout the Joint Forces Command-United Assistance area of operations in Liberia.

Loud sounds of batons beating against thick plastic shields rang out as Soldiers shouted commands in unison, all while pushing the screaming rioters forward. The Kosovo Police and European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo struggle to hold back the unruly crowd. Kosovo Force is called in for backup.

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno visited with Soldiers and leaders of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, at their headquarters at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Nov. 24. Odierno was accompanied by U.S. Army Central commanding general Lt. Gen. James L. Terry.

The Pacific Utility and Logistics Support Exercise-Watercraft, or PULSE-W is a U.S. Army Pacific initiative to utilize Army Prepositioned Stock, or APS, watercraft stored in Japan to support various exercises as part of Pacific Pathways.

Soldiers and families of the 36th Engineer Brigade, gathered in the brigade's conference room to participate in a virtual town hall meeting hosted by Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, Joint Task Force United Assistance commander from his headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, Nov. 13, 2014.

U.S. Cavalry Soldiers joined soldiers from eight other nations to complete the inaugural Iron Sword 2014, a multinational combined-arms exercise involving nearly 2,500 military personnel in the Republic of Lithuania, Nov. 2-14, 2014.

U.S. Army Soldiers, along with their NATO counterparts, turned out with vehicles, weapons and equipment to show off and meet the local residents of Pabrade, Lithuania, Nov. 9, 2014, as part of a groundbreaking NATO exercise being held nearby.

On the eve of Veterans Day, about 70 Soldiers from the 35th Signal Brigade (Theater Tactical), began their journey to Monrovia, Liberia, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to serve in the battle to contain the Ebola virus outbreak.

Hot quality meals were served for the first time on Barclay Training Center, Monrovia, Liberia, as well as other locations across Liberia, Nov. 9, 2014. The meal provided a well-needed change of pace for Soldiers, and a morale booster.

The U.S. Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's 832nd and 842nd Transportation Battalions, located at the ports of Jacksonville, Florida, and Beaumont, Texas, respectively, loaded shipments of over 1,740 pieces of equipment and U. S. military vehicles this week in support of Operation United Assistance.

The Army Field Support Battalion-Germany conducted the second equipment issue from its newly established European Activity Set, to Fort Hood, Texas, Soldiers participating in Combined Resolve III, in Germany.

The Monrovia Medical Unit, an Ebola treatment unit constructed specifically for the treatment of medical workers who were infected while caring for Ebola patients, is scheduled to open Nov. 8, 2014, located about 30 miles outside Monrovia, Liberia.

Hundreds of U.S. Army Soldiers and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members headed for the mountains to defend sovereign territory and defeat a fictional enemy during a simulated combat field training exercise at Camp Higashi-Chitose, Japan, Nov 3-5, 2014.

The Joint Forces Command-United Assistance DOD Ebola Training Team completed training the first class of workers who will staff the Ebola treatment units, Oct. 31, 2014, at the National Police Training Center, Paynesville, in Liberia.

Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Gen. Raymond Odierno got a first-hand view of training the Army's regionally aligned forces to Europe during a visit to Hohenfels, Germany, to observe exercise Combined Resolve III.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, his senior enlisted adviser, said they see the reintegration program troops will undergo upon return from Operation United Assistance as a move that fits the needs of service members and their families.

The U.S. Army Sustainment Command is providing direct support to Operation United Assistance to combat Ebola in West Africa. The command's Army Prepositioned Stocks program was tasked to assist in Operation United Assistance to provide 25 Force Provider Modules from assets stored in Livorno, Italy.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has joined the fight against Ebola in West Africa. The main body of Europe District's Forward Engineer Support Team-Advanced departed Oct. 21, 2014, for Monrovia, Liberia, to take part in Operation United Assistance.

The Army is deploying tactical network and mission command capabilities to the area that will provide the infrastructure for improved communications between U.S. Africa Command, deploying units, non-governmental organizations and other partners in Operation United Assistance.

"Soldiers are now deployed in a regionally aligned force-fashion around the world where they need to be, whether to fulfill treaty obligations, secure prosperity and peace or consolidate gains," said Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Pacific.

Two Army officers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, recently became the latest ambassadors across the Pacific. The mission was to train with partnering nations and joint forces on mountain warfare operations in the Himalayan Mountain Range in Nepal.

Members of the 922nd Contingency Contracting Battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, are preparing to depart in the coming weeks in support of the government's response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Soldiers from the 36th Engineer Brigade received personal protective equipment training at Fort Hood, Texas, Oct. 9, 2014, as part of their continued preparations for an anticipated deployment to West Africa.

Eleven U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy military and civilian personnel convened in Chao Samran, Thailand, Sept. 22-26, 2014, to evaluate equipment with the Royal Thai Army, during Operation Crimson Viper 2014.

Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's 599th Transportation Brigade at Wheeler Army Airfield, Wahiawa, Hawaii, has provided strategic support to the U.S. Army Pacific-sponsored Pacific Pathways, an operation that groups multiple exercises and keeps assets in the area of operations longer without fixed bases, from the beginning.